“I…I don’t know. I was stuck in the back. The man…he trapped me there…”
I pull her away from me so that I can look at her face. “Did he hurt you?”
“No. But I was scared. He was…there was something so dark about him. He told me his men had killed my bodyguards. He told me how efficient they were, and…"
“And what? Kayla, what else did he say?”
“He told me to tell you he sends his regards. That he hopes your family is well,” she says, sounding like she might cry.
I cup my hand over her face and hold hers up towards mine. “Look at me, baby. Look at me, beautiful girl. I’m here with you, okay. I’m right here.”
“He was so charming,” she mutters, her eyes glazed with shock. “And beautiful. His eyes were bright, bright blue. Like something you’d think wasn’t even real. And he had dark hair….” she mutters, letting the memory spill from her. I let her speak, listening closely so that I might find out who the man was. She tells me about his confidence and his sharp attitude. About how he toyed with her as though it was some kind of game.
Her face goes pale again when she tells me how she opened the trunk.
“It’s okay, let’s get you home,” I tell her.
She’s in such shock that my priority has to be getting her somewhere safe.
I leave my men to clean up the scene and bring the other vehicle somewhere safe so that we can deal with the guards’ bodies in a respectful manner.
Kayla snuggles against me in my car as I drive her home. She doesn’t want to let me go.
When we pull into the driveway, she whispers, “The twins will be home in an hour. I don’t want them to see me like this.”
“I have already asked Stella to take them straight upstairs to have a picnic on the top floor in the sunroom. They think you are at work, so they aren’t expecting to see you until five this evening.”
“Thank you,” she breathes a sigh of relief.
Upstairs in her room, she is still clinging onto me, and I can see how shattered her thoughts are.
“Can I run you a hot bath?” I ask, trying to find ways to comfort her.
“Will you lie with me? I just want you to hold me,” she says quietly.
“To hold you?” I repeat, my heart spinning.
She nods, biting her bottom lip.
I kick off my shoes and shrug my jacket off, tossing it over a nearby chair. I guide her to sit on the side of the bed so I can take her sneakers off. She stares at nothing, bewildered and stunned.
I scoop her in my arms and lay her on the bed, then lie down next to her and pull her right up against my chest, with her back curved into me and my arms wrapped tightly around her.
“Like this?” I whisper against her ear.
She nods.
“Do you want to talk about it?” I ask.
“Those men…their families…”
“Those were both good men. But they knew what they were signing up for. They have both been involved in the Bratva since they were young. Born into it. Lucas is single and has no family. Tony’s divorced. He had two sons who live with their mother. As per my promise to him, I will take care of his family and make sure they have everything they need to be okay. I will honor both men with a funeral that thanks them for their sacrifice.”
“His sons,” she whispers, her heart clearly still aching.
“His sons hardly knew him. But their lives will be easy. I will pay for their college and help them start a business whenever they are ready.”
“So, both of them were alone in this world, in a way?”
